Chevening Scholarships are an important element of Britains public diplomacy effort

and bring professionals, who have already displayed outstanding leadership talents,
to study in the UK. The objective of Chevening is to support foreign policy priorities
and achieve FCO objectives by creating lasting positive relationships with future
leaders, influencers and decision-makers.

As a Chevening Scholar, there is a lot of information to take in regarding your award

as well as living in the UK. This section of the website will keep you up to date with
travel information, policy, scholars news and events, and other opportunities
available to you through Chevening.

To be eligible for a Chevening Award you must:

Be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country

Return to your country of citizenship for a minimum of two years after your
award has ended
Have an undergraduate degree that will enable you to gain entry onto a
postgraduate programme at a UK university. This is typically equivalent to
an upper second-class 2:1 honours degree in the UK.
Have at least two years work experience (this may be up to five years for
fellowship programmes, so please refer to your country page for further
details)
Apply to three different eligible UK university courses and have received an
unconditional offer from one of these choices by 12 July 2018
Meet the Chevening English language requirement by 12 July 2018

You are not eligible for a Chevening Award if you:

Hold British or dual British citizenship (unless you are a citizen of a British
Overseas Territory or hold BN(O) and are applying from Hong Kong)
Are an employee, a former employee, or relative of an employee (since
July 2015) of Her Majestys Government (including British Embassies/High
Commissions, the Department for International Development, the
Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Department for
International Trade, the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office), the
British Council, or a staff member of the Association of Commonwealth
Universities. Employees, former employees, or relatives of an employee
(since July 2015) of Chevening Partner organisations are eligible to apply,
but cannot receive a Chevening/Partner Award from the organisation for
which they work, previously worked, or are affiliated with through relatives.
(Note: Immediate relatives are defined as parents or step-parents, siblings
or step-siblings, children or step-children, spouse, civil partner or unmarried
 partner (where the couple have been in a relationship akin to marriage or
civil partnership for at least two years)
Have previously studied in the UK with funding from a UK Government-
funded scholarship. However, if you have previously studied under a UK
Government-funded scholarship (including Chevening), you may be eligible
to apply for a Chevening Fellowship five years after completion of your
initial UK Government-funded scholarship.

Once submitted, applications undergo an electronic sift against our eligibility criteria.
Any applications deemed ineligible will be removed from the selection process.
Please note that once your application has been submitted, it is not possible to
change it retrospectively.

In order to receive a Chevening Award, all applicants must demonstrate that they
have fulfilled the Chevening English language requirement by 12 July 2018. We
advise all applicants to ensure they have fulfilled the English language requirement
as early as possible by either:

Taking an English language test

Claiming an exemption based on the UKVI exempt categories

If you fail to demonstrate that you have met the required English language level by
12 July 2018 or fail to prove that you qualify for an exemption, your application will
not be successful.

English language tests

You are free to take tests more than once in order to meet the Chevening English
language requirement. Please note that Chevening does not pay for costs
associated with English language testing. You are responsible for booking and
paying for costs associated with these tests.

Chevening accepts English language tests from five providers:

Academic IELTS
Pearson PTE Academic
TOEFL iBT
Cambridge English: Advanced (CEA)
Trinity ISE II (B2)

The English language test must be taken from one of these providers on or after 1
October 2015. If you do not already have an existing eligible test certificate, it is your
responsibility to ensure that you have booked a test date so that you can obtain the
required results.
Applicants are not permitted to take pre-sessional courses to fulfil the Chevening
English language requirement. You will be required to take one of the approved
English language tests unless you fall into one of the exempt categories.

Applicants are not permitted to enrol on pre-sessional courses to fulfil their

universitys English language requirement or any other conditions of a university
offer. Any offer from a university with a requirement to undertake a pre-sessional
course will be considered conditional.

Chevening English language requirement: breakdown of scores

Academic IELTS Find a test centre

Overall score of 6.5 with a minimum score in each component of:

Listening 5.5

Reading 5.5

Speaking 5.5

Writing 5.5

Pearson PTE Academic Find a test centre

Overall score of 58 with a minimum score in each component of:

Listening 42

Reading 42

Speaking 42

Writing 42

TOEFL iBT Find a test centre

Overall score of 79 with a minimum score in each component of:

Listening 17

Reading 18

Speaking 20

Writing 17

Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) Find a test centre

 Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) Find a test centre
Overall score of 176 with a minimum score in each component of:

Listening 162

Reading 162

Speaking 162

Writing 162

Trinity ISE II (B2) Find a test centre

Overall pass and minimum pass in each skill across both modules:

Listening 2

Reading 15

Speaking 8

Writing 14

In some countries, the availability of test centres is limited so we recommend you

organise a test at the earliest opportunity. If there are no English language test
centres in your country, you may be required to travel to a neighbouring country to
take a test. Please see your country page for further guidance.

Please note that the turnaround time for English language tests varies:

IELTS results will be available in 13 days

PTE Academic results will be available in five business days
TOEFL results will be available approximately ten days
CAE results will be available in two weeks
Trinity results will be available in 14 days

English language test results are sometimes withheld or delayed due to standard
auditing procedures carried out by the test provider. Please note that extensions to
the 12 July deadline will not be granted in cases where results are withheld or
delayed, and applicants should therefore ensure that they take their test well in
advance of the deadline.

Remember to prepare for your English language test in advance. Tips on how to
prepare for the tests and practice test papers are available on each of the test
providers websites.

English language exemptions

Applicants who are nationals of one of the following countries are exempt from
submitting an English language test for a Chevening Award, in line with Home Office
policy:

Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada,

Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St
Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States of
America.

Applicants who have been awarded a bachelors degree or higher that was taught in
full in a university located and accredited in one of the following countries are also
exempt from submitting an English language test for a Chevening Scholarship*:

Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica,

Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St
Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, the UK, and the United States of
America.

*The exemption from the Chevening English language requirement will not be
granted for distance learning courses or studying at the overseas campus of a
university based in an exempt country. However, evidence of studying abroad in one
of the exempt countries for at least one academic year as part of an accredited
degree course will be granted the English language exemption.

English language requirements for UK universities

As well as meeting the Chevening English language requirement, you may also have
to meet certain English language criteria to be eligible for your university course.
Universities may only accept a certain type of test or ask for higher minimum test
scores. Be sure to check with your university what test they require you to take.

English language for fellowships

Chevening Fellowships may have different English language requirements. Please

refer to you country page for further details.

Choose your three courses carefully as you won't be able to change them after
submitting your application. To be awarded a scholarship, you must get an
unconditional offer for one of your course choices by 12 July 2018.

Applicants will need to select three different master's courses, these can be three
different courses at the same institution or the same titled course but at three
different universities. You should choose your field of study carefully and select
courses which reflect your current or future career goals.
 In order to be eligible, the courses you choose must be:

Full-time
Start in the autumn term (usually September/October)
Taught master's (i.e. not research-focused MRes programmes)
Lead to a masters degree qualification
Based in the UK

Course cannot be:

Distance learning
Part-time
Less than nine months in duration
More than 12 months in duration
PhD or DPhil are not permitted

Use our course finder to browse eligible masters degrees at every university across
the UK.

PLEASE NOTE:

MBA fee cap: There is a fee cap applied to MBA programmes that requires applicants
to cover any additional cost over 18,000.

London-based campuses: Applicants who wish to undertake a course offered at a

London-based campus of a UK university that is based elsewhere in the country will only
be permitted to do so if that exact course is unavailable at the universitys main campus.
If the same course is offered at both the main campus and the London campus of a
university, applicants will be expected to attend the main university campus.

Accuracy of courses: The Secretariat endeavours to provide an accurate list of

courses during the application process. However, as courses can change from one year
to the next, candidates are responsible for checking that the courses they list in their
application meet the criteria for Chevening funding. The Secretariat completes final
checks on courses that candidates have selected following the interview period, and any
courses that do not meet the criteria will be deemed ineligible.

Missing courses: If you believe that a course is eligible but does not appear in the
online application system, you must submit your missing course query no later than
12:00 noon on Thursday, 2 November in order for it to be considered ahead of
applications closing.

Pre-sessional courses

Applicants are not permitted to enrol on pre-sessional courses to fulfil their

universitys English language requirement or any other conditions of a university
offer.

If you enrol on a pre-sessional course to remove a condition of your university offer,

the Secretariat will learn of this via the university and your award will no longer be
tenable for that course. Please note that this can happen at any stage of the
process, meaning that there could be no time for you to switch to another of your
course choices, even where you hold an unconditional offer. This would then result
in your Chevening Award offer being withdrawn.

Some courses, typically in the fields of law, maths and science, may include
mandatory introductory elements that can be referred to by the university as pre-
sessional courses. If this applies to one of your chosen courses, please notify your
Chevening programme officer as soon as possible and they will advise you as to
whether the course is permitted.

You should not enrol on optional pre-sessional courses prior to your official course
start date, even if you are willing to pay for these courses yourself. A vital part of the
Chevening journey is the pre-departure briefing given at the British embassy or high
commission in your home country, which you would miss if you were already in the
UK.

Please note that the Secretariats administrative processes cannot be sped up to

enable you to come to the UK early (for example, the production of the final award
letter cannot be expedited), and the Secretariat will not provide immigration advice
for any period outside the official dates of your Chevening Award.

Unconditional offers

The Secretariat will need to see evidence of an unconditional offer from one of your
three course choices in order to finalise your Chevening Award.

We can accept a conditional offer if the only outstanding condition is financial, i.e. the
need to pay a deposit for the course. There can be no further caveats on the offer,
including the need to send original documents, such as transcripts, to the university.
You should ensure that you have met all of the universitys requirements well in
advance of Chevenings deadline so that you are in a position to send us evidence of
your unconditional offer by this date.

You are not permitted to meet a universitys English language requirement by

enrolling on, signing up for, or paying a fee for a pre-sessional English course. If you
enrol on a pre-sessional course to remove a condition of your university offer, the
Secretariat will learn of this via the university and your award will no longer be
tenable for that course.

Please note that this can happen at any stage of the process, meaning that there
could be no time for you to switch to another of your course choices, even where you
hold an unconditional offer. This would then result in your Chevening Award offer
being withdrawn.
 References are an integral part of the selection process. References are required for
both the fellowship and scholarship programmes. The reference letters must be
written by your chosen referees and sent to you to upload to your online application.

We will not accept references that are sent directly to the Secretariat or to your local
British Embassy/High Commission.

Who can be a referee?

Please select your referees carefully; they should be people who can comment on
your general suitability to receive a Chevening Award. Referees should be known to
you, either in an academic or professional capacity. They should not be a relative or
close personal friend.

References must be:

Written in English. Your application will not be considered for an award if

your references are not written in English.
Provided in a letter format, preferably typed, and addressed to the British
Embassy or High Commission (the mailing address of the diplomatic
mission is not required)
Uploaded to your application form in PDF format. The file must be no larger
than 5MB.

When approaching your referees please direct them to the guidance section below
on what they should include in their reference.

What should referees include in their reference?

References are an important part of the Chevening application process and they are
considered alongside the application form throughout the selection process. They
will be reviewed by the British Embassy/High Commission so it is important that you
provide as much relevant detail as possible to support the applicant.

If you have been asked to provide a reference to support a Chevening application

please read below for further details on what to include:

Your reference should be provided in a letter format and it must be in English.

References that are not written in English will mean that the applicant will not be
considered for a Chevening Award.

Your reference should cover the following:

1) How long have you known the applicant?

2) In what capacity do you know the applicant? (e.g. professional, educational,
supervisory, voluntary, religious)
3) When you last had regular contact with the applicant
4) A brief overall endorsement of the applicant, including their:
 Skills in leadership and networking
Personal, intellectual, and interpersonal qualities
Ability to complete a demanding academic programme in the UK

When to upload your references

Applicants for Chevening Scholarships

If you are invited to interview, you will be required to upload two valid references to
the online application centre by Monday, 26 February (12:00 GMT). We recommend
that you obtain your two references in good time to ensure they are ready and
available to upload should you be invited to attend an interview. Anyone who has not
uploaded their references by the deadline will not be invited to interview.

Applicants for Chevening Fellowships

Applicants for the following fellowships must submit references at the time of
application:

Chevening Rolls-Royce Science and Innovation Programme (CRISP)

Fellowship
Cyber Security Fellowship
South Asia Journalism Programme (SAJP) Fellowship
Chevening Standard Chartered Financial Services Fellowship

Applicants for all other fellowships should submit their references by Monday, 26
February 26 (12:00 GMT) if you are invited to interview.

Applicants must ensure they meet the minimum work experience requirement for the
award that they are applying to before submitting their Chevening application:

Chevening Scholarships two years work experience

Chevening Fellowships either five or seven years work experience
depending on the fellowship. Please check your country page for eligibility
details relating to the specific fellowship you are applying to.

If you do not already have the required level of work experience, you will be unable
to submit your application.

Eligible types of work experience

Applicants must meet the minimum work experience requirement before they submit
their application for a Chevening Award. The types of work experience that are
eligible for Chevening can include:

Full-time employment
Part-time employment
 Voluntary work
Paid or unpaid internships
Work experience can be completed before, during, or after graduating from
your undergraduate studies.

Employment undertaken as part of your undergraduate or postgraduate course are

not eligible.

You do not need to meet the work experience requirement in one period of
employment nor do you have been working in your current role for the minimum
requirement in order to be eligible to apply. Applicants can submit up to ten different
employment periods in order to meet the requirement. If you have held more than
ten positions then please enter the periods which make up the greatest number of
hours worked.

If you are in current employment, it is not a requirement of Chevening that you resign
from your position. You are advised to discuss your application with your employer
and it is your responsibility to ensure that they will release you if you are selected for
a Chevening Award. The British Embassy/High Commission or the Chevening
Secretariat cannot intervene in this.

How to calculate your work experience

The minimum requirement for work experience is calculated by multiplying the

number of hours worked by the average number of weeks worked per year. For
Chevening Awards it is assumed that applicants in full-time employment work on
average 40 weeks per year and 35 hours per week.

The minimum number of hours an applicant must have before applying does vary
depending on the Chevening Award to which you are applying:

Chevening Scholarships - two years work experience = 2,800 hours

Chevening Fellowships - five years work experience = 7,200 hours
Chevening Fellowships - seven years work experience = 9,800 hours

If you have worked part-time, the minimum requirement will have been accumulated
over a longer period.

Work experience scenarios

To help you calculate your work experience we have provided below some examples
of how to calculate your employment hours.

Scenario 1
Full time employment working 35 hours per week and 40 weeks per year for 2
Scenario
calendar years
 Scenario 1
Calculation 35 hours x 40 weeks x 2 years = 2,800

Outcome An applicant in this scenario would be eligible for a scholarship

Scenario 2
Full time employment working 42 hours per week for 45 weeks per year for 18
Scenario
months

Calculation 42 hours x 45 weeks x 1.5 years = 2,835

Outcome An applicant in this scenario would be eligible for a scholarship

Scenario 3
Part time employment working 18 hours per week for 48 weeks per year for 9
Scenario
calendar years

Calculation 18 hours x 48 weeks x 9 years = 7,776

An applicant in this scenario would be eligible for a scholarship and

Outcome
fellowship

Scenario 4
Part time internship working 10 hours per week for 35 weeks per year for 3
Scenario
calendar years

Calculation 10 hours x 50 weeks x 3 years = 1,500

An applicant in this scenario fails to meet the eligibility criteria for either
Outcome
a scholarship or fellowship

Scenario 5
Part time voluntary employment working 10 hours per week for 35 weeks per
Scenario
year for 3 calendar years

Calculation 10 hours x 35 weeks x 3 years = 1,050

An applicant in this scenario fails to meet the eligibility criteria for either
Outcome
a scholarship or fellowship
If you hold more than one position of employment at the same time then all can be
used to meet the work experience requirement. Please see an example below of
how this would be calculated:

Scenario 6
Currently employed working part time 10 hours per week for 35 weeks per
Scenario
year for 4 calendar years AND

Currently employed working part time in a voluntary position 12 hours per

Scenario
week for 35 weeks per year for 2 calendar years

(10 hours x 50 weeks x 4 years = 2,000) + (12 hours x 35 weeks x 2 years =

Calculations
840) = 2,840

Outcome An applicant in this scenario would be eligible for a scholarship

Read our blog post for more information about work experience.

Below are some tips and advice for applicants when using the online application
system:

1) Use the Google Chrome web browser as this is recommended for the best
experience.

2) When completing your application form, work in a full-size window. This will
make the application form easier to read in its original format.

3) Don't use your browser's 'back' and 'forward' buttons. This will take you out of
the system and you will lose all unsaved work. Navigate through the pages of the
application form by using the menu links in the form.

4) Remember your username and password. This saves time when you want to
log back in to the online application system.

5) Enter information accurately, especially your contact details. Please ensure

that you enter a valid email address. If it changes after you have submitted, please
ensure you update it in your application otherwise you may miss important updates
from the Chevening Secretariat. If you provide a second email address, please
ensure that it is valid and different from your first.

6) You can preview all sections of the application form at the start of your session
and before you start to complete it to familiarise yourself with what is required.

7) Consider preparing your answers offline. The application form may take some
time to complete so you may wish to prepare your answers offline and then paste
your answers into the online form where appropriate. This is particularly relevant if
you're using a public computer, like in an internet cafe.

8) Application questions have word counts. In the application form there is a set
of questions you are required to answer. There is a minimum word count of 100
words per answer and maximum of 500 words per answer so please ensure you
meet these requirements. Answers that are less than 100 words will not be
considered.

9) Save as you go! There is no automatic save function on the system and each
session will close after 60 minutes, even if you are still actively editing the form. Any
unsaved entries will be lost, so you are strongly encouraged to save regularly to
avoid losing your work!

10) You do not have to complete the form in one session. Always remember to
save your work. Use the 'Logout' button (top right corner of the page) and keep a
note of your username and password so that you can come back and finish off your
application later. You will also be able to access your application via a link you will
receive in an email.

11) Do not plagiarise. If content from other sources is used to answer the
application questions, they will be considered as plagiarised, and your application
will not be passed on to the reading committee, the independent body that
undertakes a first review of all eligible applications received. We therefore strongly
encourage you to thoroughly check your answers, ensuring they are original and not
copied from other sources.

12) Please apply in English. Applications must be submitted in English. Any

application not submitted in English will be deemed ineligible.

13) Check the size and format of the files you intend to upload and ensure they
meet the requirement. The online system will only accept PDF documents no larger
than 5 MB. Please ensure that the filename length does not exceed 50 characters.

14) Only submit your application once youre completely satisfied with it. When
you are satisfied with your application, click the 'Submit' button. Please note that
once you have done this, you may not modify your application except for the contact
details section. We do anticipate a high volume of applications, so please give
yourself enough time to submit the strongest application possible.

15) Remember, you can only submit one application. We will only accept your
first application. In order to withdraw from the process you will be asked to provide a
reason for doing so before the withdrawal is final. If you choose to withdraw your
application you will not be able to start another application until applications open
again in 2018.
 APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN
Applications for 2018/2019 Chevening Scholarships and some Chevening
Fellowships are open.

Please read the information on this page carefully prior to applying

and subscribe to our newsletter for tips and updates on how to prepare and
how to apply.
Applications for 2018/2019 Chevening Scholarships and some Chevening
Fellowships close on 7 November 2017.

Before you apply for a Chevening Scholarship

Before starting your Chevening Scholarship application, you may wish to

familiarise yourself with the following requirements:

Eligibility criteria
English language criteria
Courses
References
Work experience
Online application system

In order to apply for a Chevening Scholarship

Once applications are open, please navigate to your country's application

centre in order to start your application. The video below shows you how to
get there:

In order to submit your Chevening Scholarship application, it is essential

that you have the following ready:

Valid passport/national ID card

University transcripts and degree certificates (undergraduate,
postgraduate)
Three different UK master's course choices

You may also wish to submit the following optional documents if you
already meet the requirements. You can submit your initial application
 without these documents, but you will have to upload them to your
application by 12 July 2018:

English language test results

UK master's university offer

Only documents in PDF format can be uploaded to the online application

system, and documents cannot be over 5MB in size.

Please note that if you are eventually conditionally selected for a

Chevening Scholarship, it is essential that you provide evidence that you
meet the Chevening English language requirements and that you have at
least one unconditional offer from an eligible course before 12 July 2018 in
order to remain in the process.

After you have applied for a Chevening Scholarship

To find out what happens once you've submitted your application, please
refer to the application timeline.
If you are selected for an interview, please refer to our interview guidance.
Remember, if you are invited to an interview, you will be required to submit
two complete references via the online application system no later than 26
February 2018. If you have not submitted your documentation by this
deadline, you will be unable to proceed with an interview.